Ever After
by Child-of-the-Dawn
Summary: SPOILERS! Albus meets an interesting 11 yr old.A Tale of the values we forget, and how Harry reminds us of them. MAJOR DH SPOILERS! Do not read if you havent finished book 7!


Ever After

* * *

AN:

Hope you like this. SPOILERS ABOUNDS!!!!!!

So you read this before DH, on your head be it!

OH, and Shimmering-Unicorn-Horn? You may hate the name but its canon now! cackles No ill feelings, luv, just am totally amused I got such a thorw-away fact right XD.

Full Summary: Albus Severus Potter gets losts in the Ministry and is involved in an accident with a new batch of Time (and now Space Turners. Landing in Hogwarts the night Albus Dumbledore allows his death. The meeting secures a bond Harry was hardly aware of.

* * *

Albus Potter was terribly excited.

One, he was eleven and a letter from Hogwarts was clutched in his hands as he re-read the list and the little extra note from his Godmother, Headmistress McGonagall:

_P.S- Albus, congratulations! I know this is highly against the rules to leave a note, but I wanted to say how proud I am of you! I hope you do well at Hogwarts, just don't be up to your namesake's hijinks—either of them!—and I won't develop a nasty headache .Ask your father, that's a very bad thing._

_-Your Godmother,_

_Min_

He grinned. He'd practically grown up on stories of Severus's creative ways of getting back at his grandfather James, and laughed himself silly as his father recounted the event in which a perfectly timed joke from Albus Dumbledore had caused Harry to snort a face full of soup.

He re-read the letter again as he walked alongside his uncle Ron towards the Auror's office. This was exciting event number two. He had wanted to get a good idea of his father and uncle's jobs, and Ron had happy agreed to take his nephew in with him, after which the two would meet Harry and the rest of the Weasley-Potter clan at the Leaky Cauldron for some school shopping.

They rounded a corner, and Albus, not paying attention, felt time slip into slow motion as he bumped into a row of wizards carrying crates marked 'Fragile and HIGHLY dangerous!!!'. Ron's shout was a second too late, and Albus felt the world dissolve around him. Another second later, and the youngest son of Harry Potter disappeared without a trace.

Ron stared in horror at the place where the boy had been standing, then to the fine granules of dust on the floor, and finally at the label on the boxes.

'Time and Space Turners! Take the user to any time and different place so long as a connection is present between Here and There.'

"Oh….Ginny is going to kill me."

* * *

The first thing Albus noticed was the bird.

Bright, beady eyes watched him with an look of polite interest in a face covered in bright orange feathers tinted with reds and yellows. A sinking feeling formed in Albus's stomach as he focused on what could only be Fawkes. But the phoenix, his father had told him, had fled the night his namesake died for the Plan. Which mean't the dust around him as the world had melted like sugar in tea was….

He sat up suddenly, eyes wide in comprehension, to find the final nail in the bizarre event's voice drift through the door.

"Goodnight, Minerva." The man said softly, a note of goodbye in his voice only Albus could hear. He froze. Minerva? As in his Godmother Minerva? But if she wasn't entering the office then….oh no…

Albus scurried into the sitting room behind the desk just as one of the legends of his bedtime stories entered the office. It was then that the boy knew for certain he'd time traveled accidentally.

Albus Percival Wolfric Brian Dumbledore entered his office, the curse that was slowly killing him apparent in his blackened hand. He came towards where Albus hid, and as he passed the boy began to sneak out of the room. Unfortunately, Fawkes chose that precise moment to sing loudly, causing his human to turn back towards the office area.

They both froze. Dumbledore's bright blue eyes were wide for a moment before he returned to his usual calm.

"Harry? Aren't you a bit early, my boy?"

Albus blinked before remembering he was indeed the image of his father, right down to the Lily-green eyes.

"Er…" He said softly, and knew in that moment he was caught. He may look like Harry Potter, but he sounded like the male equivalent of his mother. Dumbledore raised his wand so fast Albus didn't have time to even blink.

The boy was distracted, momentarily, by the Elder Wand of legend pointing at his heart before he came to his senses and put up his hands in defense.

"Its not Polyjuice, Headmaster! Really! I think there was an accident. Time Turners or something. I'm his son, I'm Harry's son!" The wand fell to the floor with a clatter.

In no picture did Albus Dumbledore ever looked so completely at a loss for words. Albus Potter, in turn, looked exactly like what a child who feared Minerva McGonagall should look. She was going to ground him so bad when he got to Hogwarts.

"Harry's….son?"

"Yeah." the boy replied uncertainly. The tone sounded a bit odd, hollow.

They stared at one another, man and boy, for a hard minute before the most jubilant expression appeared on the older wizard's face. Albus grinned back.

"He survives…he does it." Dumbledore said, sounding a bit breathless. He sank down onto the couch, lighting the wall lamps and gesturing for Albus to come into the light where he could see him better. He did, and could only smile at this man, this hero, he had heard so much about.

"He was terribly human, Al." His father had said. "He believed horrible things as a boy, lied to so many, but tried so hard to do the right thing later on. He was what a hero really is, Al. He was light and dark, and in the end he chose love and light and forgiveness over everything else. And I loved him dearly for it."

He looked so good though, so strong and bright that for a moment Albus wondered how anyone could think Albus Dumbledore had ever had a dark thought in his head. It was like saying Gandalf was in cahoots with Sauron.

"I shouldn't tell you…."

"Don't worry, child. I know my way around a Time Turner."

"So dad said. Telling Aunt Hermione how to break three dozen laws at once…"

Dumbledore chuckled. Albus took his seat next to the old man.

"Aunt Hermione? Ah….you're father is indeed a far better man than I. He seems to of let himself love. I…I am a bit of a coward there."

"I know." At the questioning look, Albus continued.

"Godmum. Headmistress McGonagall. You love her?"

Dumbledore blushed scarlet.

"I….."

young Albus grinned madly. He _knew _it.

He took a moment to compose himself." A-anyhow, fret not, I'm sure you're family remembers the workings of Time. If you broke one—the dust on your clothes being a good indication you did—then it will recall you as it repairs itself."

Young Albus heaved a sigh of relief.

Silence reigned as the old Albus judged him. He sat very still, doing the same to Dumbledore. The way his dad spoke of this man made him so real to Albus from the time he was four. But they were not all heroic: his baby sister Lily's middle name was Ariana, and all the Potter children knew that poor, tragic child, as a caution towards letting magic run away with them. Harry had given them the truth where the world gave only the bright goodness. That Dumbledore, the one everyone thought they knew, was not the one Harry presented, though it was clear that Harry saw the good outweighing the bad. It was, his father said, not having darkness, but what you choose to follow. And Dumbledore chose light and love.

Dumbledore looked away after a moment, eyes heavy with the thought of what he was going to do in the near future.

"He must look badly on me." Dumbledore said," I have a feeling he'll learn—has learned to you—the truth."

Albus looked down at his feet. Ariana, Gellert, Kendra, Aberforth…oh he knew.

" He doesn't." Albus said after a second thought. Harry might know all of Dumbledore's darkness, but he loved the light just the same.

Dumbledore smiled wryly at him, but Albus shook his head and continued.

"My dad told me all the time, ever since I was little, about you. Yeah I…I know bout Miss Ariana. About you being…being a bit Dark." Dumbledore turned red under his beard and looked away, ashamed.

It was so strange, doing this, and a part of him felt he should stop, but the rest of him had a sudden stroke of inspiration. His dad's only regret was Dumbledore not knowing flat out how much the old man mean't to him.

He took a breath," He _loves _you."

Dumbledore's eyesbrows rose so sharply, Albus worried his face would crack.

"Surely he hasn't said-"

"Does he need to?"

"You're far too perceptive for eleven, you know?" Dumbledore said as he looked out his sitting room window with a smile, watching as the wind blew hard against the pane.

"Sir?" Albus said after a moment, a clock in his mind telling him he had little time left. Like lightning, it hit the eleven year old what he should say.

"Yes my boy?"

"Aren't you going to ask my name?"

Dumbledore blinked a moment, then both of them smiled embarrassedly and laughed.

"We never did introduce ourselves like proper wizards, did we? Albus Dumbledore, my boy!" Albus laughed, then gasped as the room began to fade. Dumbledore was looking at him in surprise, reaching forward and grabbing the boy's hand, somehow steadying him between times.

"You?"

"Albus. Albus Potter." The shock in the ancient blue eyes faded quickly as they filled with tears unshed.

"Albus…Potter." Whispered the old man, and a tear escaped down his cheek.

"Thank you, young Albus." Dumbledore said, letting go. The room spun again and fell into Darkness.

* * *

"I'm going to kill you, Ron."

"Gin, calm down. He's fine."

"He disappeared in Time…."

"And? I almost got killed by Voldy-face when I was his age. I'm ok."

"Two words difference, darling: Albus. Dumbledore."

"…met him." Several gasps greeted Albus Potter's words as he blearily opened his eyes. His mum and dad were sitting next to his bed, presumably in St. Mungo's. Hermione and Ron Weasley were on the other side along with James and Lily. The nine year old threw herself into his arms, crying.

"Al-bu-bu-bus!" She whimpered. Beyond her, he saw his dad and a newcomer, Professor McGonagall, and realized he was at Hogwarts.

"What did you say?" She said softly, coming to sit on the edge of the bed and brushing a hand through his messy black hair.

"I…hit time turners?"

"Yes."

"Went back….that night. Dumbledore…met Dumbledore." Stunned silence greeted the statement. Harry's eyes looked a bit watery, as did McGonagalls. Hermione was smiling softly in rememberance and the Weasley siblings were staring. James was the first to say something.

"So dad was right? You were to another TIME? Cool! What was he like?"

"James! leave him alone." snapped their mum," Hes had a rough time of it!"

"'M fine!" Albus said, sitting up in bed quickly," James, he was just like dad said! He thought I was dad at first, but I spoke---he had the Elder Wand, James!—and he almost hexed me, but I told him who my dad was! Made his century, I think! And-"

"ALBUS SEVERUS POTTER!" Albus shut his mouth, turning meekly to his mother.

"You did NOT reveal the future to Albus Dumbledore!"

"Kinda hard not to mum." He pointed to himself, then at his dad, " and…I told him that. He said it was ok, cuz he knew what not to ask. I told him how I knew about him. And he's really, really happy you and mum got together." The boy, now excited and convinced by their faith that he'd indeed met the man of Harry's stories, turned with a big grin towards Minerva.

"He was in love with you!"

"ALBUS!"

"Son!"

"woah.." said Ron.

"oh, barf!" yelled James.

Harry let out a barking laugh, startling them all, until even Minerva was laughing with them. James turned a delicate shade of pink and joined in.

A shadow appeared in the corner, catching Albus's eye, and the boy stopped grinning to look on in shock.

A hand to his lips requesting silence, Albus Dumbledore was smiling at him brightly. No words were said, but as Dumbledore faded, Albus heard his final message as if on the non-existant breeze.

_I believe this is called Happily Ever After._


End file.
